Happy Birthday
by Sakrea
Summary: There's a birthday coming up on the Thousand Sunny, only no one seems to remember. Cloud's new to the crew and turning 19, wanting nothing more than for Zoro to notice her. When Zoro's brother appears and shows an interest in her, will her fancy change?
1. Chapter 1

Just a few things. This is my first ever story on Fanfiction and my first fanfiction. I wrote this for my friend Cloud Ima, the female OC in this story, as a birthday gift. She's a Zoro fan so I had to make it fanfiction. Also, yes I realize his brother's name doesn't match with Zoro's at all. There is a reason for that. I wrote a different story that included Damian. Cloud really liked him an  
I've always thought he'd make a good brother to Zoro, so here it is. Though his personality is much happier than in the original. Enjoy, there will be more chapters to come!

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"OI! Sanji, more food!"

"Save some for everybody else shithead!"

"Cook-san? May I have a cup of coffee?"

"ANYTHING FOR YOU ROBIN-CHWAN!!"

"Oi, Ero-Cook. Keep your hormones to yourself."

"WHAT did you just say Marimo?!"

"I said, keep your hormones off me! Quit bumping my chair!"

Cloud let out a sigh. She knew how this would end. How every fight after this would end. Fight. Fight to injure. Nami. The sad part was, Zoro paid more attention to the man he hated, Sanji of course, than he did her. In her eyes, this was a sad one-sided love.

She stood up from her chair. It scraped against the fresh wood of the Thousand Sunny's dining room floor, but no one turned to look. Then again, who could hear that over Zoro and Sanji's fight? So she turned and stepped toward the door. About halfway, she heard Nami's voice, then the usual sudden stop of the fight. A series of groans and swear words directed at their new bruises followed shortly after. 'Almost free…' Cloud gripped the door handle and twisted it slowly. Now that it was fairly quiet she knew it would be hard to sneak out without-

"Cloud-Chwan?"

Caught in the act, Cloud sucked in a breath and turned her head, pulling her mouth into the best smile she could muster. "Yes?"

"Is something wrong? You've hardly touched your food…" Sanji's face was twisted into a look of genuine concern.

Only Sanji would notice something like that, then again, being a cook it was his job.

Cloud threw a glance at the plate. Marinated steak with a side of roasted veggies. Delicious, but only if you're hungry. She had taken a bite though, hence the piece missing in her steak and a few stray pieces she'd cut off. Besides that, it was undisturbed.

"I'm sorry Sanji-kun, but I'm just not that hungry today."

At this Chopper threw her a nervous glance. That little reindeer could overreact for any reason.

"I had a big snack earlier today." Cloud explained, hoping the little creature understood the reassurance. She didn't wait for a reply however, as she swiftly opened the door and stepped out.

She was immediately met with a rush of the familiar night air. Her eyes closed involuntarily, her back pressed to the door.

The air was cool, typical of an ocean night on the Grand Line. This was just a bit cooler than usual though. Cloud briefly considered the idea that they might be nearing a winter island.

She sighed softly, stepping away from the door. Her excuses must've been convincing enough or either Sanji or Chopper would have come out by now. Though she knew they were still suspicious. After dinner they would come looking for her, but by then she would have herself composed.

Cloud stepped down to the main deck of the Sunny, headed for the bow. By then her thoughts has started to drift.

She went left of the figurehead, it being slightly too large for her to see over. Her eyes drifted lazily over the blackened waters, not really seeing them. Her ears were open however, drawing on strict lessons prior to joining the crew. Everything seemed normal. The gentle gush of sea air past her ears, the rhythmic crashing of the waves against the hull, and the sound of the sails' fabric rustling. No sound out of the ordinary, or at least ordinary for the Grand Line. After all, the sound of a Sea King deep beneath the ocean's surface wasn't exactly unusual.

Cloud laid her face against her palm, propping her elbow against the railing and sighing. Her day hadn't been bad, despite what her mood may suggest, unless you count one tiny little thing. The first guy she'd ever really been interested in, for the first time in her 18 years of life, continued not to care. He didn't even have a clue of her true feelings and he seemed to commune with her the least of anyone. Yes, Zoro was antisocial sometimes, but why this much towards her? She was as new to the crew as Franky was and they got along great.

"It's unusual to see a pirate moving around the deck after dinner."

Cloud spun around and, instinct kicking in, she drew her sword. She didn't recognize the voice, an obvious sign that this was an intruder. With that comes the indirect permission to attack.

Her sword clashed with another, the metallic clang destroying the previous silence. It would alert the crew fairly quickly, but until then she had to hold her own against this stranger.

Cloud didn't give his appearance a second thought, or at least what she could see of it. Though obvious parts of it briefly flickered through her mind. He was tall, probably more than a foot taller than her. She caught sight of shoulder length black hair tied into a loose ponytail.

"I didn't know there were two swordsmen on this crew." He said, a hint of amusement in his voice.

Cloud pulled her arm back and swung again, aiming it towards his hip. The man deflected it easily, moving it in front of hers. She pushed against him instead of withdrawing, trying for a power struggle.

She saw him grin. That bastard was toying with her! He new he could easily win, as did she. He held his sword with only one arm, his muscles not straining even slightly as he pushed against her sword.

"Damian?!"

At that moment, the kitchen door opened, flooding the deck in light. Both Cloud and the man drew apart from each other, squinting. Cloud clenched her katana with both hands as the crew poured out onto the deck, Zoro in the lead.

Her opponent however, sheathed his sword and stepped toward the crew, grinning.

"Damian, what the hell are you doing here?" Zoro asked, stopping in front of him, a smirk playing across his lips.

"Na? Zoro, you know this guy?" Luffy asked, stepping up next to him, his head tilted sideways with his arms folded across her chest.

"He's my brother."

"WHAT?!" was the general response from most every member of the Straw Hat Pirates.

"I see the resemblance." Robin said, smiling her normal mysterious smile at towards Damian.

She was right. Now that she looked at him, Cloud could see the similarity. Both had the same piercing green eyes, the same darker skin tone, and even the same body shape.

Damian turned his head, meeting Cloud's gaze. "I apologize for sneaking up on you." He bowed his head slightly, "but I wasn't expecting to find someone on deck at this time of night." He gave her a smile, sincere this time. Cloud felt her heart melt a little, staring at him. The smile was identical to Zoro's, the one thing she'd wanted to be done towards her for so long. Now his brother had been the one to give it to her.

"Hey! Maybe he can join the crew!" Luffy exclaimed, grinning broadly.

Usopp slapped a hand over the boy's mouth, gripping his shoulder and dragging him backwards. "Oi, Luffy! Think about this for a minute! We don't know anything about this guy!"

"He's Zoro's brother!"

"Besides that!"

Luffy pouted, giving him a small whine. "Sooo?"

"Unfortunately…" Damian stepped toward them, having overheard Usopp's loud, frightened whispers. "I'll have to decline that offer. I have no desire to become a pirate."

Zoro had been watching silently, leaning against the railing, a smirk still playing across his face. Only now did he step in again. "I'd heard a rumor that you'd become a pretty famous bounty hunter."

"I heard the same of you until you managed your own bounty."

"Why are you here?"

"Straight to the point." Damian sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Truthfully, I just came for a visit." At this he smiled again.

"That's all?" Sanji had his eyebrow raised slightly, exhaling a cloud of smoke from a freshly lit cigarette.

"What can I say? I have nothing better to do."

"So you're staying?!" Luffy asked, giving off another toothy grin.

"Only for a few days. If you'll let me that is." Damian said, grinning back. Luffy nodded. Quickly. In a way only a man with a rubber spine could.

Cloud glanced at Zoro. He'd approached Damian now, putting a hand on his shoulder. Everyone was talking and laughing, crowding around this stranger. No acknowledgement as to why her sword had been drawn. Nothing. Except from the one she'd attacked. It was strange, but she found herself appreciating the attention that Damian had given her. Even that glance he threw her as the crew hustled him inside seemed to make her feel at least a little better.


	2. Chapter 2

Well here it is The project of my sweat and time spent when I was supposed to be paying attention in class. Oh well. 3

I'd like to make a small point- Zoro is OOC at the end, I know. I really was lost on how to make him. If anyone's got suggests, send me them, I'd be HAPPY to make corrections!

Also… Concerning the OCxOC pairing that's currently in this story. I have only to quote my history teacher's favorite saying.

"Wait for it…"

One more thing before the disclaimer: Yes, Cloud has gray hair. No, she is not an old lady. She is twenty as of this chapter. Cloud is an OC that my friend created and she has gray/silver-ish hair. That and come on… Lots of anime/manga characters have strange hair colors; don't get too worked up about it.

I do not own One Piece or anything One Piece related in my story! That's all Oda, the hero to all Damian is my character and Cloud is my friend. There. People have been claimed. On with the chapter!

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Three days after Damian's arrival, everything was calm. He crew seemed to have gotten used to his presence. In fact, most were grateful. Wherever he went, he did small chores and odd jobs as a way to show he didn't want to be a burden. Everyone got along with him, even Sanji, but overall everything was basically normal. So, what else was there for Cloud to do, but take a small nap in the shade?

Cloud lounged peacefully beneath one of the Thousand Sunny's small trees. Her head was lolled to the die, her cheek resting softly against her shoulder. Her arms were laid across her stomach, her left hand gripping the hilt of her ever-faithful sword. The cool, steady breeze blew a few strands of the girl's soft gray hair across her face, The leaves overhead rustled gently, making bright rays of light shift and flicker across her face.

Her sleeping was light, caused merely by the rhythmic flapping of the sails as the wind hit them. This kind of sleep was dreamless and makes the person quite easy to wake. Not only that, but Cloud had trained herself, focusing much of her time on alertness. The slightest change in air movement or the softest sound would have her wide-awake with her sword drawn. Unfortunately, it wasn't perfect. Damian had slipped through this defense before, managing not to alert her in any way.

This time, he obviously wasn't trying.

A thick shadow fell over Cloud's face, the sound of feet moving over grass suddenly stopping. Out of instinct, she jumped dup into a crouched position, now waking without warning, her sword drawn with its tip about two inches off of his throat.

"By now, you'd think I'd remember those reflexes." Damian commented, smiling down at her. He hadn't even flinched. Those bright green eyes gazed intently down on her, never wavering to the sword. He acted completely aloof, as if there wasn't an instrument of death poised towards his throat.

Cloud said nothing, her face expressionless. Slowly, she drew the sword back, sheathing it without problem. She had begun to resent him, only increasing her foul mood.

"I apologize for startling you. Again. There's a reason this time, I promise." He said, watching her carefully as she lowered herself back against the wall. He didn't seem phased by her lack of response.

"Oh?" Cloud's voice wasn't cold, only uncaring, hoping to show him that unless the ship happened to be on fire, she didn't particularly care.

Truthfully, she had no reason to resent him. In fact, it was merely jealousy. And why shouldn't she feel that way towards him? She was the weakest of three swordsmen on the ship currently. One was an insanely strong, 160 million beli, invincible swordsman to be, the second was this man's brother whom was a famous bounty hunter, and the third was an unknown, weak female who's only talent was flinching when someone stepped the wrong way. With those siblings around her, more than a little bit of her confidence was worn away. She didn't even know the true extent of Damian's ability, but just from the few second power struggle of their first meeting, she knew he was very strong. The question was, who was stronger? Zoro or Damian?

"Yeah, Sanji sent me down. He wanted to know if you would like a snack." Damian replied. He seemed to have taken notice of her attitude, his smile sinking to only a slight incline of the lips. Barely visible, but there.

"No thanks." She answered without hesitating, closing her eyes against him. She sat like that for a minute. Everything was calm, not a sound out of place. Except…

"Still here?" Cloud opened an eye to the looming shadow over her.

"You're upset." It wasn't a question. It was a dead on statement.

Cloud didn't respond, merely closing the eye again. Another thing she'd noticed about Damian was his accurate character judging. After spending only a few minutes with a person he always seemed to know the dos and don'ts. He knew peoples limits and what was right to talk about versus what was taboo. It was certainly a useful talent.

"You aren't going to tell me, right?" Damian had come closer, walking to her side. He sat down in the grass beside her, letting his sword rest on the ground beside him.

"It's none of your concern." Her eyes stayed closed, her only facial movement was to form the now slight scowl resting on her face.

"I still want to help."

'Damn this guy is persistent…' Cloud thought, clenching her sword's hilt a little tighter. They sat in silence for a minute. Cloud didn't intend to respond and Damian obviously didn't intend to move. For Cloud, the minutes dragged on, torturing her due to the man next to her.

"If I tell you, will you leave me alone?" she asked, opening her eyes and looking at him. He nodded, watching her. "It's my twentieth birthday and no one remembered."

His expression didn't change: he still looked concerned. She'd expected him to laugh. After all some people might think of it as silly. Why not just tell everyone and be done with it? Well-

"But there's more, isn't there?"

Cloud blinked at him, shocked. He'd seen right through to the core. Again. She shifted her gazed down to her lap, her expression saddening. "There is…"

"And?"

She bit her lip, fingering her sword's sheath. It'd bother her ever since she'd joined the crew. She'd wanted to tell someone, but no one on the ship was appropriate to tell. After all, it was about them.

"Cloud?"

"No one her likes me!" Cloud blurted out, gripping her legs. "Everyday I see the crew together just being friends! They've never accepted me like that! It can't be that I'm new, I mean I joined the same time as Franky and he fits right in!"

Damian's face turned serious. He reached a hand out and laid it on her shoulder. "That's not true."

"How do you know?! This is the first time you've been here!" Cloud exclaimed, turning her head away.

Damian let out a small sigh, keeping the hand on her shoulder. "I asked Zoro about you." Cloud winced slightly at the name, Damian seemingly taking no notice. "He said that you often went off by yourself during the day. Apparently Luffy has a tendency to whine about that."

Cloud turned her head slowly, only enough to glance at him out of the corner of her eye. He was smiling gently. It was odd to her that this stranger was trying to comfort her instead of the rest of the crew.

"So they took you shyness as a want to be left alone. They don't hate you." Damian continued after her silence.

Cloud nodded slowly. "You're probably right…" she sighed, biting her lip.

Damian's smile fell again, staring at her with a slightly confused look on his face. "But…" Cloud glanced up at him. "There's still something else."

He didn't seem surprised. She figured he'd been expecting it.

Her eyes closed again. "There is something else I want…" Silence. Neither moved. "I'm not going to get it and…" Another sigh. "I just can't seem to let it go…"

She heard Damian shift a little, the grass rustling and bending beneath him. Maybe the sudden change had made him nervous. "What is it?" Or not. His voice was cool, smooth, and hinted on genuine curiosity. It hadn't fazed him in the least.

Cloud felt heat spread across her cheeks. Even though she knew he'd ask, it was still an embarrassing thought. She bit her lip gently and than released it, her eyes remaining closed. "A kiss." As the words slipped past her lips, her mind brought up Zoro's image. Specifically it was him she wanted too kiss, not just anyone. In all her life, she'd never been interested in a guy that way. Much of her teen hood had been all work and she'd been alone. It was understandable that such feelings had been non-existent.

Cloud began to specify that the kiss she wanted be from a certain man, but one thing stopped her. She felt one warm breath hit her face, making her mouth close again, her eyes opening. The scene of Damian's gently smiling face close to her own briefly met her eyes. Then, she felt his lips meet her own, anything she had to say, lost in the rush. At first her body was tense and rigid, but quickly she relaxed, letting her eyes slip closed again. Soon, she found herself enjoying the kiss. It was warm and gentle, exactly how she thought a kiss with Zoro might feel like, only… Zoro had left her mind when Damian's lips had first touched hers.

Slowly, she felt him draw back, she herself felt a bit disappointed it hadn't lasted long, but let him. He immediately drew his head around towards her ear.

"Happy Birthday."

Zoro set his over-sized weight down on the floor of the Thousand Sunny's crow's-nest. He let his legs fold beneath him, crossing them in front of him. Panting slightly, he drew his hand across his forehead, wiping away some of the sweat that had accumulated there. He kept thinking about it. What he'd seen. It was weak, he knew, to not be able to control your own thoughts.

"The hell Damian…?" he hissed to himself. He let his eyes close, his breathing becoming normal. His brother had done something stupid. Damian had purposely gotten himself involved with a crewmember. He knew he was leaving soon, yet he didn't hesitate to kiss Cloud. He hadn't heard the conversation, but he knew enough. Cloud had liked it. After Damian had pulled away, it had been written all over her face.

"OI! MARIMO, LUNCH!"

Zoro had half a mind to yell an insult back, but stopped himself. He wasn't in the mood to fight with Lovecook.

He stood up, walking towards one of the benches in front of the windows. There he picked up a towel, quickly using it to wipe as much sweat from his body as he could, and his shirt. From there he stepped toward the hatch leading to the ladder. His boots sat right beside the closed hatch and he was soon climbing towards the deck, fully clothed.

Within all of this, he was slightly worried. Certainly an odd feeling for him, but he had to admit it to himself as he walked into the dining room. It was going to be hard getting through meals with Cloud and Damian smiling at each other as they were now…


End file.
